


Running Wild

by LoveGeek15 (orphan_account)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Needs a Break, Adrinette, Alternate Universe, Chat Noir's POV, City is destroyed, DJWifi, F/M, Kinda follows canon, Marinette's POV, Origins, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, The problem fixes itself sometimes, action scenes are hard, animan - Freeform, the umbrella scene, vigilante marinette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-08-27 11:03:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16701286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/LoveGeek15
Summary: An alternate universe where Ladybug doesn't get her miraculous, leaving it all up to Chat Noir to save the day.But who saved him from that fight?And who was that mysterious black figure?





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the beginning planned, but after that, I might need some help to get it going.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

 

 

It’s been him since the beginning.

**CHAT NOIR: PARIS’S FAVORITE FELINE AND SUPERHERO**

Maybe in another universe, he had someone else, a partner of some sorts.

But not in this reality.

It’s only ever been him.

 

...

 

After an attempt at trying to get to school, he saw a red box in his room and met Plagg. The thing was moving the moment he got out of the box. The “kwamii” had mentioned something in his _very_ distracted briefing about a partner for him.

“A new friend!” he thought.

Before Plagg finished explaining, he transformed and ran outside.

There was a monster to stop, wasn’t there?

 

After trying out his new staff, he saw a lone civilian running on the sidewalk he was at. She stopped to take a breath.

He jumped down behind her, “You shouldn’t be running towards the monster, you know?”

She turned to him, “You can’t tell me what I can or cannot do, alley-cat. Hey, you look kinda like a superhero!” She ran up to him and shoved the phone she was carrying to his face, “What’s your name?”

“Uhhh,” The girl was smiling eagerly. She was wearing glasses and had reddish hair. “Chat Noir?"

“Chat Noir."

“Yeah,” He snapped his fingers, “Chat Noir. Has a good ring to it.” He shook his paw with his ring.

She laughed, “I agree.”

A crash from behind interrupts them. The girl points towards the destruction, “Aren’t you gonna defeat it?”

“Yeah! I will.” He uses his staff to lift him up to a roof.

 

As he's running across roofs, he worries he's on his own.

_Maybe they're already there, fighting it off._

 

 

He shakes his head.

_Where are you, partner?_

 

He lands in the arena where the monster conveniently hid, looking for someone named “Kim”.

Chat shouted, “Hey!” The monster turned to him, “It’s not very nice to pick on people who are smaller than you!”

He turned to Chat, “I guess you’re talking about yourself.”

The monster ran at him, leaving dents in the grass. He avoided each throw the monster took.

“Partner? Wherever you are! I kinda need help right about-” He jumped out of the way of a downwards punch, “NOW!?”

“Partner?” the redhead continues to record the fight in the arena, wondering if there was supposed to be two instead of one.

Chat Noir finally finds a way to get the purple item from Ivan’s stone hands and releases the purple butterfly.

He remembers briefly of his kwamii saying to retrieve the “black” butterfly and “de-evilizing” it. He doesn’t remember how, but, he catches it anyway and shoves it in his pocket.

The girl he met earlier runs to him. “Chat Noir! That was so awesome!" She was holding out her phone. "How did you get your powers? Were you cursed with black magic? How did you figure out where the item was?”

Chat laughed nervously as his ring began its countdown, “I’m afraid I’m gonna have to take a rain check on those questions, blogger. I gotta run, see ya!” he extends his staff and leaps out of the arena.

 

The news channel displays the blogger’s images the whole night. The girl squeals with joy with her new best friend she met at school, a brunette with blue eyes who’s kindness was shared through a macaroon.

 

Chat Noir jumps into his room and detransforms. “That was so awesome!”

“Yeah,” the black kwamii yawned, “It sure was, kid. Now, where’s some lunch, I’m starving.”

“Okay, okay, okay. What do kwamii’s eat?”

Plagg points to himself, “This one eats cheese. You got any?”

“I can ask my chef.” He pats the kwamii’s head.

“Yay!”

 

 

 

In a deep, dark layer, a man talks to himself.

“Chat Noir? Hmm. A good opponent, but rather young. And where is the Ladybug Miraculous? Shouldn’t they be together? Hmm.” He closes the large window, leaving him in darkness.

 

 

  

 

Hidden in a far-off room, a red box sits tightly in an abandoned pink vanity drawer. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! This was my take on an alternate universe Origins episode, cause you gotta start somewhere, right?
> 
> The schedule for this is messed up, but I might get the first chapter in by tomorrow. Cross your fingers!
> 
> Follow me on my tumblr: @lovegeek1215
> 
> As always, leave a Kudos or a Comment if you enjoyed! Thanks again!


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit longer than I hoped, but I guess that really isn't a complaint ;)

 

 

Every once in a while, another akuma, as they were called, would show up and decide to wreak havoc on Paris.

Chat Noir would try to lure the akuma’s away from popular areas and into the damaged ones and then battle them. Hawk Moth, the guy he was up against, was fair and let Paris rebuild itself before firing off another one.

 

Adrien got lucky and, (after a _lot_ of convincing from Nathalie), got his father’s permission to go to public school. There he met Nino and Marinette. He also met the blogger girl from earlier, Alya.

She eventually created the Chat-Blog, for all Chat Noir content. But over the school year, he and Alya forgot altogether that there was supposed to be another hero.

He didn’t start off too well with Marinette. Only when Alya told her that he was a good guy, she finally opened up to him. She loved fashion, but she wasn’t so… confident.

But as of late, Alya convinced her to be Student Council President, forcing her to be confident. She took up the challenge and finally had enough courage to face Chloe, her life-long bully. Adrien really liked the new, confident Marinette. She would voice her opinions (with some help from Alya and her classmates) and have "debates". Mostly with Chloe.

Nino was the first person he met at school when he sat next to him. Nino noticed how nervous Adrien looked and introduced himself. Adrien explained how he didn’t have many friends, only Chloe. Nino’s eyes widened “If your only friend was Chloe, man,” he shook his head, “I’m Nino,” he took out his hand, “and it’s time for you to make some new friends, dude.” Adrien smiled and shook his hand.

Marinette and Alya haven’t come in yet.

 

Every time there was an Akuma sighting, Adrien would try to sneak away from the evacuating classes and transform into Chat Noir.

There were four main areas of akumitization, the Eiffel Tower, their school, Collège Françoise Dupont, the TVi studio, and the Louvre, which is unfortunate since Paris would repeatedly have to fix each when an akuma is around.

The civilians try to help by fighting against the akumatizations (which only works 20% of the time) and by helping Chat Noir with directions and evacuations. They’re too scared to face an Akuma head on.

 

Except for one.

 

It’s been about a half of a year since he was chosen to be Chat Noir. It was that time of year where it would be cold in the morning then sweltering hot in the afternoon. But that didn’t stop Hawk Moth from creating super-villains.

The Akuma was a Zoo-keeper, Alya’s father. Adrien was there to help Nino with his date with Marinette. But that plan went south when, after transforming into Chat Noir, he couldn’t find her.

Nino was chasing after Alya, who was also being chased by a bunch of gorillas. There was an empty cage nearby, so he snatched them up and left them in the cage. (“Stay put, you’ll be safer this way.”)

He tried to contain all the animals first, putting them back in their cages. They spread pretty fast, and it was a tedious process capturing them all, but he couldn’t find the akuma, Animan.

He was looking in a large alleyway when suddenly Animan leaped behind him catching Chat Noir off guard. He started deflecting Animan’s hits, but he knocked his staff out of his hands. He’s caught in a corner.

Right when Animan transformed into a dinosaur, (“Hey! When did extinct animals count?!”) he saw a girl wearing a red helmet and pink scarf.

The T-rex roared and charged at him. Chat started running the opposite direction. When he was looking back, he didn’t notice a ledge in the concrete and tripped over it. The dino laughed as he flipped over. He roared and opened his mouth. Chat put his arm in front of him, ready for his demise when suddenly, the girl from earlier ran in front of him and extended his staff. (Ho _w did she know how to do that?_ )

  
“The T-Rex may have been extinct a long time ago, but technically, it's still an animal,” the girl replied. “Hurry! I don’t have that much left in me!”

He got up quickly, “What do you want me to do?”

She looked back at him, determination in her eyes, “The akuma is in his bracelet. When I let go, I’ll throw you the staff, got it?”

He nodded and started running. The girl un-extended the staff from the akuma’s mouth and threw the staff at Chat Noir. She gave a big smile at him before being thrown to the side by the akuma. She crashed into the wall and fell to the ground.

“NO! You’re so gonna pay for this!” He extended his staff and charged at the akuma and right before the dino struck him, he slid underneath it, snatched the bracelet and destroyed it with cataclysm. Animan detransformed and Chat Noir caught the black butterfly and shoved it in his suit.

He walked towards the akumatized victim when he remembered the girl. He looked behind him and found nothing of her. He turned back to Alya’s father. He brought him back to the zoo and continued to search for the remaining animals.

The girl with the red helmet hasn’t left Adrien’s mind.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my take on Animan!
> 
> I still have plans for one more chapter (maybe two) and I might need some ideas! All ideas are welcome!  
> (As a side note, I won't be updating today since I've been sick and busy, but I might type and edit the next chapter tomorrow!)
> 
> All Comments and Kudos are appreciated!
> 
> Follow me on my tumblr: @lovegeek1215


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After Animan. And it's a short one. 
> 
> Enjoy! 
> 
> (I may or may not have just added spaces to make it more clean. Gonna do it for the others!)

 

 

He released Alya and Nino, who seemed to be having a really deep, but funny conversation after being stuck in the cage for a couple of hours. And after a few more days, all the animals were retrieved and back into their rightful places.

It’s the day after when Adrien finds himself thinking about the red-helmet girl. He doesn’t know why, but after fighting with her, he feels like… like she was a missing piece to his puzzle, like she was fated to fight with him. He’s been daydreaming about meeting her. She was so brave and witty and even if she was wearing the most random things, she was also beautiful, to him, at least.

 

During lunch, Nino noticed his change in attitude and asked him what was up.

“Are you okay, dude? You’ve had your head in the clouds for the last three days.”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing, Nino.”

He rolled his eyes and sighed, “If you say so.”

 

They continued to eat, watching little kids scream in laughter on the merry-go-round.

 

Adrien turned to Nino, “Actually, um, did you see Chat Noir get the akuma?”

Nino crossed his legs, “Um, you do realize that I was stuck. In a cage. With Alya. For, like, four hours, right?”

“Oh, right.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Uh, th-there’s a rumor going around that someone had the guts to go between the akuma and Chat Noir.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They don’t know who it is, but they were pretty fearless.”

“I bet they would be if they only decided that akuma to help him with.”

“Yeah, they say the she used Chat Noir’s staff to block the akuma.”

“She?”

“Yeah.”

“Dude, that’s crazy. What else?”

“Oh, uh, I think that’s all they said.”

“Oh, cool.”

 

In the distance, the bell rings for passing period.

 

“We should probably walk back to school.”

“I’ll definitely tell Alya about this.”

“It’s a rumor, it probably didn’t happen.”

“Dude, her blog runs on rumors and gossip. It’ll be fine.”

“Wait,” he grabbed his wrist and sighed, “Don’t tell anyone. Let her figure it out herself.”

“Okay, okay.” He let go and put his hands up, “I won’t tell her.”

He sighed, “Thanks, Nino.”

 

They continued to walk back into the crumbling school-building.

 

* * *

 

It’s been two weeks since he told Nino. And Nino being the awesome friend he was, kept the secret. Or at least told Alya not to post it online. The blogger hasn’t posted anything about sightings of a girl with a red helmet and pink blanket/cape.

Adrien wanted alone time, from his life and his father. He transformed and ran across rooftops, checking alleyways, people watching. It’s Friday, so he doesn’t have any homework from school to worry about.

Chat Noir leaned on a chimney lazily and stared at the stars. It was darker in this part of Paris, where the lights don’t block the stars. He started whistling a song Nino showed him.

Tourists walk into motels as a couple laughs under an awning in a late night cafe. There’s the occasional locomotive that passes through the roads below. When one passes by, Chat thinks about where they’re going. Maybe the half destroyed Notre-Dame de Paris. Why they still come to Paris, knowing that airports have warnings about the dangers of akumas, Chat Noir didn’t know.

The couple retreats back into the cafe and the streets become quiet once again. Only a few buildings have lights on as some lamp-polls flicker.

After a while, he hears shuffling below him.

 

_Probably the owners trying to open the windows._

 

He stops whistling. The shuffling quiets down as well.

He hears a frustrated sigh behind him. Er, the chimney. He hides close to the edge and peeks just a bit.

The black figure dropped something, and was bouncing off the roof in front of him. The figure gasps and runs after it. He backs up and sees them jump off the roof. He reaches forward and grabs his staff.

The figure catches the item in midair and takes out some kind of gun and shoots it at the nearest roof. It latches onto it with a hook. 

He watched them flip and land. Gracefully? They stand and inspect the item.

They were wearing all black with a few red spots on their hoodie/cape thing. They covered their hands with red gloves and didn’t show their face.

 

Chat Noir shouts, “Hey!”

 

They seemed surprised by it and turned slightly at him. They unhooked their grapple-gun and started running the opposite way.

 

“Hey, wait!” He extends his staff and lands on the roof they latched on. He starts chasing after them.

 

They were pretty fast. They jumped over gaps and alleyways in a breeze, never turning left or right.

They also seemed young. 

 

_Maybe they have a miraculous?_

 

He shakes his head and concentrates on the person.

Apparently, they somehow also have good endurance because they’ve been running for _a while_ now. And he _still_ hasn’t caught up.

The figure drops down into an alleyway.

Chat Noir jumps after them, and finds nothing. Only garbage piles from the restaurants. He hears a clicking sound down the alleyway and chases after it.

 

_They’re not going to get away._

 

 

From the pile, you could hear a soft sigh of relief.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm really sorry for not posting this next chapter the day after. Haven't had enough motivation to write it D:
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed! I'll have the next part posted in a few days. . . maybe
> 
> Your suggestions in the comments are AMAZING. Wow, I haven't thought of a few that were down there before and it really gives me ideas for future chapters!
> 
> ^^^ ALL COMMENTS AND KUDOS ARE APPRECIATED.  
> If you find any mistakes, please tell me!
> 
> Follow me on my tumblr: @lovegeek1215


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's switch things up a bit.
> 
> MARINETTE'S POV
> 
> Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short, but typical. 
> 
> Edited on 12-05-18 Just so it would make more sense ;)

 

 

It’s always been him.

 

**CHAT NOIR: PARIS’S FAVORITE FELINE**

 

It was the first day of school. Chloe kicked her out of her seat because apparently there was a new kid that she wanted to sit behind. She remembered when the new girl stood up to Chloe and how brave she was.

 

She told her, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.” and that Chloe was evil and that they were the good people. She introduced herself as Alya.

 

Marinette was so thankful for her, she split her last macaroon with her.

 

She also remembered when Alya sprinted out of the school, determined to capture this  _ super-hero _  and all the action. She was  _ way _  too addicted to comic books. But who is she to judge?

 

Everyone screamed frantically, in the school, on the news. She wasn’t normally the one to stay calm in a situation like this, but she wasn’t going to let her new friend go anywhere into trouble without her. She trailed behind her.

 

But, of course, Marinette being Marinette, she got lost from all the twists and turns and couldn’t find her anywhere. Frustrated, she trudged back home, assuming from the monster attack that there wouldn’t be school anymore.

 

She greeted her parents with a kiss on the cheek and went upstairs to her room. They mentioned something about cleaning her room from the clutter.

 

Losing her friend, leaving her in a bad mood, she hastily organized her desk and put a small, red jewelry box in her vanity. She didn't even bother to look through her things like she normally did when she cleans her room. 

 

Plopping on her seat, she turned on her computer and watched some videos on the internet.

 

It’s dark out when Alya knocks on her door for the news that she was, well, on the news! They searched up the news channel and indeed it was. They jumped up and down, squealing. Alya stayed for a celebratory dinner.

 

The day after, when she and Alya were walking into class, they saw someone putting gum on her seat. A boy with blonde hair and orange sneakers.

 

She ran beside him, “Hey! What are you doing!”

 

The boy turned around quickly, “Oh- I- Uh-” Chloe and Sabrina laughed at the exchange.

 

“Oh, I get it,” she placed her hands on her waist, “Good job, you three, very funny.”

 

The boy stood up quickly, “No no! I was only trying to take this off!”

 

“Oh really.”

 

Chloe and Sabrina keep laughing as she shoves him to the side and takes out a napkin.

 

She glared up at him, “You’re friends with Chloe, right?” She placed the napkin on the gum.

 

He mumbled something as she stood up, glared at him, and sat down.

 

Alya glared at the boy as he sat in the aisle seat next to her. He looked familiar. She looked him up on her phone.

 

Marinette shook her head, “I know I’ve seen him before.”

 

Alya gasped and showed her an image on her phone. Marinette looked at her phone, “Of course! He’s the son of my fav fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste!”

 

Alya cocked her head, “Daddy’s boy, Teen Supermodel,  _ and _  Chloe’s buddy? Ha! Forget it.”

 

The school day trudged through. She learned that she had a few classes with him. Name: Adrien Agreste.

 

Finally, it was the end of the day. Chilly and rainy.

 

She walked to the entrance and put out her hand. It was raining hard. She forgot to bring an umbrella and Alya needed to run and babysit her siblings.

 

Adrien walked up behind her, holding an umbrella.

 

He smiled at her, “Hey.”

 

She grunted and looked away.

 

He sighed and popped open his umbrella. “I just wanted you to know that I was only trying to take the chewing gum off your seat. I swear.”

 

He talked into the rain, umbrella above his head, back turned to her. “I’ve never been to school before, I’ve never had friends,” He peeked over his shoulder, “It’s all sort of… new to me.” He shrugged and offered his umbrella.

 

He had a timid smile as a thunderstorm clap brought her out of her trance. She shook her head as she brought her hand up and grabbed the umbrella from his hands.  

 

And the umbrella shut on her.

 

She accidentally pressed the umbrella’s button and dropped her bag from the shock.

 

She heard laughing and opened the umbrella up. His smile brightened the clouds above. She couldn’t help but to laugh along with him.

 

He sighed. “See you tomorrow.” Waving, he walked into the rain.

 

She smiled as she watched him down the stairs and into a silver car.

 

“Yeah! I'll... see you tomorrow.”

 

He smiled back and shut his car door. She watched it drive away. Picking up her bag, she walked down the stairs and to her home.

 

In the corner, a green kwami asks, “Are you sure it’s supposed to be her, master?”

 

Under an umbrella, the old man whispers, “I’m positive, Wayzz.”

 

“But then, what happened, master?”

 

He sighed, “I don't know,” They watched her walk out of view. “But those two were made for each other. I’m sure of it.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that was a doozy. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed Marinette's point of view and my take on the Umbrella Scene™
> 
> Comment any theories and ideas for future chapters! They are always appreciated! 
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr: @lovegeek1215


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette's view in Animan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um. . .
> 
> I wrote a lot for this chapter. 
> 
> Enjoy!

 

 

From a what was just a spark in her soul, she saved her hero and herself.

 

Chat Noir had been Hero of Paris for about six months now. He’s taken out akumas (which the creator “Hawk Moth” announced they were called) and saved thousands of civilian lives.

 

Of course he wasn’t perfect. 

 

He was too reckless and sometimes jumped before he looked. He’s learned over the days to not stay knocked out after a historic building was demolished by an akuma. That recklessness also bit him in the butt when he’d (rarely) have injuries, like that time there was a needle akuma and some needles got through his staff and poked him everywhere. He was bleeding all over when he defeated that akuma.

 

He always stayed positive though. In interviews, he say "inspirational" words and keep up Paris's spirits. And every time (to her dismay) he’d say a pun about the akuma and say a joke or two during the fight. That’s what normally got him in trouble, but you didn’t hear it from her. 

 

 

Adrien, after apologizing, helped (with Nino and Alya) get her confidence and self-esteem up. Alya stood by her side when Marinette stood up to Chloe about how that it was  _ her _ seat and (with Alya’s quote) got Chloe to shut up.

She, with the help of Alya, ran for student-body president against Chloe. And won!

With the support of her classmates and friends, Marinette learned to be confident in herself and to trust her gut.

 

Which leads to Animan. 

 

Nino asked her (on a date) to the zoo after school one day. She didn’t have anything else to do, and after texting her maman, walked to the zoo with him. They looked and commented on the copious animals.

 

And then an akuma attack appeared.

 

It was just her luck to have an akuma show up where she was. It was always like this anyways.

And it’s been awhile, maybe about a week and a half, since the last akuma was sent out. Maybe because it was near the mayor’s building. It didn’t matter.

 

They both heard stomping behind them and saw rampaging animals scattered throughout the zoo. Some were really hostile from the akuma and attacked some civilians. Nino and Marinette ran their separate ways.

 

Marinette ran pretty far, she was out of the gates in a few minutes. 

 

Apparently, the akuma followed, along with some other animals. The akuma could change shape, er into other animals, but still. 

 

Chat Noir used his staff to block hits from the animals and lured some of them back into the zoo, but some still got away. 

 

She thought grimmly, That would be a pain to catch later.

 

She saw him try to get the akuma into the more damaged parts of the city.

 

He got the akuma alone, but he was cornered into an alley.

 

Marinette was there, hiding behind  a building across from where he was. He was covered in scratches from the eagles and gorillas. From the way he was throwing his staff sloppily, she knew he was tired. The akuma, who was now a bear, knocked his staff out of his hands.

 

Chat, shakily, backed up in a defence pose into the alley, the akuma following in front of him.

 

She’s watched him multiple times get tackled by akumas on Alya’s blog and witnessing the action first hand. She doesn’t know how, but she always seemed to be in close proximity of the akuma or where Chat appeared to lure the akuma away. She’s even beaten Alya to a few attacks.

 

They were out of sight, but Marinette couldn’t just stand there and do nothing! Even superheroes need saving! Isn’t that what they say in the movies?

 

Marinette ran out of her hiding spot and looked around at her surroundings to find something,  _ anything _ , that would help her, er Chat.

There was a pile of assorted items on the ground next to the building.

 

Apparently, it was her lucky day. 

 

In that pile, a red motorcycle helmet and pink blanket were abandoned by their owners (probably tossed out of the lost and found). 

 

_ Not exactly what I need, but I guess some armor would suffice. _

 

She picked up the helmet and put it on her head, removed her black blazer, then tied the blanket around her neck. 

She sprinted to the alley where the bear and Chat Noir were fighting. When she slid into view, Chat Noir was taunting the bear akuma. And right before their eyes, the akuma changed into a (somewhat small) green T-rex!

 

“Hey! When did extinct animals count?!”

 

The akuma roared, almost pushing Chat Noir over. Apparently he saw her when she saw him slightly move his hand and signal for her to go away.

Chat tripped over a strange ledge and landed on his back as the akuma advanced towards him.

 

Marinette was panicking.  _ Oh God, what am I supposed to do?! _

 

She saw Chat’s staff on the ground near her. 

The akuma’s mouth opened for another roar. Chat put his arm up to block off his demise (like that’s gonna help).

 

Quickly, she picked up the staff and ran between the akuma and Chat. She pressed the green paw and extended the staff. The staff kept the akuma’s mouth open, dripping saliva on her and the ground she was standing on.

 

Shining with confidence, Marinette grinned, “The T-Rex may have been extinct a long time ago, but technically, it's still an animal.”

 

The akuma tried biting into the staff and pushed forward, forcing her to use more strength to keep it back.

 

“Hurry! I don’t have that much left in me!”

 

She heard him stand up and shout quietly behind her, “What do you want me to do!?”

 

She turned to look at him, panic showing on her face, “The akuma is in his bracelet.” She thought of a plan quickly.

 

She grunted and shakily said, “When I let go, I’ll throw you the staff, got it?”

 

He nodded and started running the opposite way. She turned back to the monster and counted to five.

 

She then un-extended the staff and praying to her the apparent amount of luck that Chat would catch it. He jumped off the wall and caught in mid air. 

 

_ Oh my god it worked. _

 

She beamed at her work when she was abruptly thrown at the brick wall. She was knocked out in a flash.

 

. . .

 

When she blinked awake, she saw Chat destroy the akuma in the bracelet. Maybe it was her blurry vision, but she swore that she saw him crying. 

 

_ I need to get outta here before anyone  _ **_else_ ** _ finds me. _

 

She got up quickly (almost falling back down from all the blood loss from her brain) and hid in a nearby store bathroom.

 

She slowly removed her helmet and hoped some more of that luck would be on her side.

She was bruise-less. Her eyes widened and she checked her arms and face for any sign or scratch of the akuma, but she was just fine. Just ordinary Marinette.

She looked at the blanket and helmet on the ground beside her.

 

_ Maybe it’s because of you guys. Maybe  _ **_you’re_ ** _ the lucky ones. _

 

She scoffed and picked up what she now calls her “lucky charms”. 

 

The store owner was still scarce, no one was in the store but her. And it was unlocked too. 

 

_ What if someone stole something while there was an akuma attack? _

 

Marinette shook her head and walked out of the store. She looked back at the alley and was relieved when she saw no one there anymore. She skipped back home.

 

She ran up to her room and hid the helmet and blanket under a small compartment of her desk. It was still near the trapdoor, just in case of emergencies.

 

She stood proudly in front of her hidden lucky charms when realization hit her.

 

She couldn’t tell anyone about this. Not even Alya. Chat seemed happy being a solo act kind of hero. She didn’t want to ruin Chat’s career. And besides, why would anyone like Chat notice her anyways?

 

She plopped down onto her desk chair. She tried calling Alya, but she didn’t seem to answer.

 

Where was Alya anyways? Or Nino! OR ADRIEN! 

 

She stood up quickly and ran past her parents and back to the zoo. Not after encountering some strange interactions between animal and human, but she avoided and ignored each of them. She tried calling Alya again and looked through each animal cage, but she still couldn’t find her.

 

Her maman called her to ask where she ran off to and, after a  _ long _ explanation (excluding the fight), she hung up. 

 

She was exhausted, and it was only five-thirty in the afternoon! She slugged back home, greeted her parents, and jumped into bed.

 

She chuckled, thinking how her luck went from zero to a hundred in just two hours; more than all her 15 years of existence. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess Marinette was more detailed in her pov of Animan. It was a ice-breaker for her I guess.
> 
> I think I have about a chapter and a half of this story left...
> 
> Comment ideas! All Kudos are appreciated!


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confidence-boosted Marinette decides to create her own path

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which the writer finally lines up the story 
> 
> enjoy!

 

 

The exhilaration from yesterday pumped through Marinette as she skipped early (for the first time in a _while_ ) into school. Maybe she won’t trip today.

 

Not a lot of people were there at 7:30 in the morning. Rose and Juleka were sitting together, talking and Max, Kim, and Alix sat together at Max’s seat and talked about some new bet.

 

She sat down and took out her phone. She called Alya, who answered while she was brushing her teeth.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey, Alya!”

 

“Marinette? What are you doing up so early?”

 

“I dunno. I got sooo much sleep last night. I slept at around 5.”

 

“In the afternoon!?”

 

“Yeah, I was so tired.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Not sure. Hey, where were you and Nino? I couldn’t find you guys yesterday.”

 

“Oh, Chat Noir locked Nino and I in an animal cage during the akuma attack. Nino was pretty funny and chill about it, but I couldn’t get any footage from the akuma. We got some sweets from your bakery to check on you. Your parents said you weren’t there.”

 

“I was looking for you guys!”

 

Alya laughed then spit out the toothpaste. “Well, where are you now?”

 

“I’m at school.”

 

“At school?!”

 

“Why does all of this surprise you?”

 

“Um, because you always end up running into class at the last minute _every day._ ”

 

Marinette shrunk. “Oh yeah.”

 

She could hear Alya roll her eyes. “I’ll see you at school in maybe. . . ten minutes?”

 

“Yeah! I’ll see you later, Alya.”

 

“Bye.” And she hung up the phone.

 

She picked up her bag and swung it onto her back and walked down the steps when Mrs. Bustier enters the classroom with some papers.

 

She sees Marinette. “Marinette? Why are you here so early?”

 

“Oh, uh. I got a lot of sleep last night and woke up early. Somehow.”

 

The teacher laughed. “Then you should try to keep this up. It’s good to see you up and about this early and not running close to tardy bell.”

 

Marinette laughed nervously. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Then she continued out the door.

 

She waited outside for Alya, looking left and right as students file into the school. Apparently, Nino and Alya arrived at the same time. They walked up together, talking avidly.

 

“Hey, guys! How was yesterday?”

 

Nino answered, “It was totally fun!” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, I’m sorry about yesterday. It went so out of proportion.”

 

“No! It’s fine, Nino. At least you had fun with Alya, right?”

 

Nino glanced at Alya and smiled sweetly, “Yeah. I did.”

 

Alya looked at Nino and smiled back.

 

Adrien pulled up in his silver car. He waved, “Hey!”

 

Nino turned around as Adrien ran up to him to do their handshake.

 

_Mental note: make a handshake with Alya._

 

They all walked into school to start their day, talking about how Marinette, for the first time, got to school before them.

 

***

Sure, school was pretty boring, but she was still filled with energy as the day ended.

 

And even though she didn’t like P.E. that much, it still got her to release some of that built up energy. So, after school, she talked her maman and papa into after-school training. For what, she didn’t explain, but I guess her parents were so excited to ask.

 

And so, every day for at least an hour and a half, she’d run laps around the block and use the flour bags ad weights to lift, increasing from 5 lbs. to almost 50 lbs. in just two weeks.

 

She was so excited from her little costume charade that she decided to create some sort of disguise for the future (if she even wanted to that is).

 

Now, Marinette wasn’t the type of girl who would go into danger; she’d stay behind and watch everything unfold.

 

Alya, though, was the exact opposite of her. She'd purposely get into danger just to get the latest scoop of any akumas or any theories about Chat Noir. She just had that kind of personality.

 

All this hype got her through all these new changes in her lifestyle. But as she was fixing up the grapple-gun Max helped her build, she realized.

 

She couldn’t do it.

 

She couldn’t save Paris from Hawk Moth’s grip. She couldn’t help Chat Noir fight against the akumas. Hell, she couldn’t even keep her balance walking up the stairs to her school!

 

The only explanation for what happened during Animan was. . . luck.

 

She got lucky.

 

She was at the right place, at the right time. The direction she was running. Her Lucky Charms. The staff. Chat Noir _catching_ the staff. It was all just perfect timing.

 

Marinette sat there on her spinny chair, staring at the completed grapple-gun.

 

Could she do it? She wanted to believe that she could.

 

She looked to the left of her desk that had her utilities belt and her sewn up “disguise”.

 

She thought of some things that might be essential in a battle, like a distraction or an escape plan. She looked at her grapple-gun; her transportation. She stared at her “weapon”, a yo-yo. She didn’t know why a yo-yo, something in her heart wanted it to be one.

 

She sighed at her disguise. It was a dark red, spandex suit with red and black spots all around, including the part with her hoodie. In Chinese culture, they say that red is a lucky color, so she made the hands and “shoes” of her suit a lighter red. She was almost done with the whole facade; she needed to complete the mask. She wanted it to fit the outfit-- it was dark red with black dots above and below her eyes and one dot across the bridge of her nose.

 

It’s almost been two and a half weeks since Animan. She wanted to try everything, test everything to make sure they work. Maybe go out for a spin.

 

She turned slowly at her trapdoor.

 

_They wouldn’t notice if I was gone for a few minutes, right?_

 

She bit her lip and bounced on her chair. She looked back at all the stuff she’s prepared.

 

_It wouldn’t hurt to tell them I’ll be sleeping early._

 

She walked down the stairs, trying her best to look extra sleepy.

 

Her parents were in the living room, watching some TV together.

 

“Maman?” she said groggily.

 

Sabine turned around. “Yes, dear? Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah,” she yawned, “I think I’m going to bed early. Is that okay?”

 

Sabine looked at her husband. “Oh, so no dinner tonight?”

 

“I’ll be fine. I’ll wake up early in the morning.” She smiled sleepily.

 

“Okay, then. Goodnight, sweetheart.”

 

Tom followed. “Goodnight, Marinette.”

 

She walked back into her room. “Good night!” and closed the trapdoor slowly.

 

Then, she started jumping (carefully) and squealing, ready to test everything.

 

She slid on the suit first and inspected to make sure nothing was out of place. The hoodie kinda wrapped around her, like little red riding hood, but dark red. The mask wasn’t ready, so she had to make sure it wouldn’t fall off.

 

Next, she clicked on the grapple-gun to the utility belt and wrapped that around her waist. To make sure it doesn’t fall off her, she made sure the part where the belt had to be placed have a sorta a border to click onto (yes, she planned _everything_ ).

 

She fixed her childhood yo-yo into having a stopper so she could use it as both a weapon she could throw and hit and a shield where she’d spin it around quickly. She changed the string into nylon string that could (or could not) protect her.

 

After all was said and done, she looked at herself one more time.

 

She felt like a hero. And she looked like one too!

 

She could feel the excitement returning to her again as she climbed into her balcony.

 

She breathed in and out slowly and took out her grapple-gun.

 

_This could fail miserably. Or work better than I’ve ever dreamed of._

 

She aimed her grapple gun at the building across the street.

 

_3_

_2_

_1_

 

She shot the grapple-gun and it hooked onto the chimney of the building.

 

_This could be the end of me._

 

She placed her finger on the retrieve button and gave herself a running start. She pulled the trigger and found herself flying across the street and to the building. The grappling hook released from the chimney as she landed. Gracefully?

 

She couldn't breathe. It worked! She jumped up and down and kissed her grapple-gun. She’s not dead!

 

She looked at the Eiffel Tower, shining brightly in the horizon. The sun has been long gone for almost two hours.

 

_A few minutes of checking the streets won’t hurt, right?_

 

She laughed and ran across building tops and swang through the air with her grappling hook, taking in the cold, fresh air of the night.

 

Leaning on a chimney, she stopped to take a breath. She didn’t know how long she’s been out for, and she didn’t care. She was _way_ past the Eiffel Tower, into the old parts of Paris. Some of the lights were out in some of the stores on the streets.

 

She was about to shoot her gun when she saw something on the ground. Slowly, she hooked the grappling hook on the edge of the roof and descended onto the ground. She picked up the black metal object and squinted into the darkness at it. She’d have to look more closely at it tomorrow.

 

She walked across the stores before deciding that it was time to go home. She shuffled quickly past some garbage bags and hooked her grappling hook to the top of the roof. She lifted herself onto the roof and started walking to the end where the building she was standing on met the street.

 

Her luck ran out when she tripped on. . . _something_ and dropped the black metal object. She wasn’t losing _that_ today, so she ran after it and jumped off the roof.

 

Now, in the previous times she’s used her grapple-gun, she had a predetermined spot for the hook and it was already there before she retrieved it.

 

But here, it wasn’t. She jumped before she looked. But she couldn’t think about that now! This was a life or death situation!

 

Quickly, she snatched the item, shot the grapple-gun and pressed release. The gun hooked onto something higher than where she was, so she swang into an alleyway and flipped in the air. _AND LANDED._

 

She wanted to sit there for a moment to 1) catch her breath and 2) freak out about it. But cooly, she stood up and checked the item in her hands. She clicked her grapple-gun into her belt.

 

Then she heard someone shout, “Hey!” from across the street. She turned quickly and saw Chat Noir on the opposite roof.

 

She wanted to freeze and let herself die of embarrassment. But somehow, she got her feet to move and started running away from him.

 

“Hey, wait!” she heard him call.

 

She jumped over alleys and rooftops. She could hear the clacking of Chat’s boots behind her. She snatched one of her "escape plans" and waited for the right moment to escape and prayed it would work.

 

There was a big gap ahead. She sped up then dropped down into a pile of garbage bags below (Thank god they weren’t smelly. That would’ve taken _days_ to wash off). She covered herself as she heard Chat Noir land and breathe heavily nearby.

 

She slowly lifted her hand from her hiding spot and clicked the button for countdown. Then she threw it down the alley where the opening was. It was supposed to make a sort of “running on pavement” sound to trip off the, in this case, hero.

 

She heard him grunt and chase after it.

 

When she knew he was gone, she relaxed into the garbage bags and sighed in relief.

 

_I managed to trick Chat Noir. And got away with it._

 

She picked herself off the ground and shot her grapple hook onto the next roof. In a matter of a few minutes, she escaped back home.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (These chapters just keep getting longer the more I go on)
> 
> The aftermath of Animan! 
> 
> I'm running short on ideas, and I'd love it if you could comment any ideas for the future!


End file.
